


Operation: Midnight Kiss

by Zeered



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff, Gift Exchange, New Year's Eve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22070731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeered/pseuds/Zeered
Summary: Ava is invited to celebrate New Year's Eve with the Legends. No one besides Nora knows about Ava's crush on Sara but Ava hopes to finally get the chance to meet Sara properly.
Relationships: Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Comments: 18
Kudos: 158
Collections: Avalance 4ever 2019 holiday exchange





	Operation: Midnight Kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WardenRoot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WardenRoot/gifts).



> I hope y'all enjoy this fic which I wrote for [WardenRoot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WardenRoot/works). It's part of the holiday gift exchange from the Avalance4ever Discord so check out the others too ;)
> 
> Big thanks to [LadyXana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyXana/works) and @Starling83 for betaing this!!

“C’mon Ava, normally you’re the one who hates to be late,” Nora said and earned a groan from Ava, who laid face down in her bed while Nora changed her clothes.

“Why do I have to go?” she asked, her words muffled through the layers of her bed.

“Because you promised to come with me to the party and also because I need you in case I’m spiralling when I see Ray,” Nora said and left a small pause, a smirk growing on her lips. “And because Sara will be there,” her voice teasing Ava, who pulled her head up as soon as she heard the name of her neverending crush.

She had moved with her parents from Fresno to Star City last year due to her mother’s new job at Star City University, but it had never felt like home here. And to make things worse, Ava, who had come out as gay just before they left, found herself having a crush on Sara Lance, one of the most famous people at Star City High School. A girl that was completely out of her league, but still, she couldn’t stop pining for her. But Sara couldn’t know that Ava even existed, they didn’t share any classes because Ava chose History and other theoretical classes and Sara focused on sports mostly. She was captain of the female soccer team and practised countless martial arts Ava couldn’t even name. She didn’t even know why she knew all that. Well, maybe she had stalked her on Instagram, but just a little bit.

“I’ll pass,” Ava said and buried her head even deeper in her pillows, sighing when the picture of those breathtaking icy-blues wouldn’t leave her head.

“Ava, this is your chance,” Nora said and Ava let out another groan.

“Yeah, my chance to embarrass myself in front of her. No, thanks,” she said, letting out a sigh followed by an overdramatic pout.

“You will not embarrass yourself, at least not when I help you,” Nora teased, smirking when Ava threw one of the many pillows at her.

“Thanks, jerk,” Ava said with an eye roll when Nora dodged her attack easily.

“C’mon, we’re gonna be late,” Nora said with a grin, wiggling her eyebrows. “Sara’s waiting for you.”

“Why are we friends again?” Ava asked and narrowed her eyes at her best friend.

“Because you love me and I’m helping you get a girlfriend,” Nora answered and threw the pillow back at her.

“Alright,” Ava sighed and pushed herself up from the bed. Just the thought of actually meeting Sara, let alone speak to her, drove her absolutely crazy, but still Ava could feel anticipation rising in her stomach. Maybe, just maybe, there was a spark of hope gleaming inside her.

\--------------------------------------------------

Sara laid on her bed, the back of her head on a pillow, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. Her head spinning and unable to settle.

“Earth to Sara,” Zari said and Sara was pulled out of her thoughts.

“Uh, what?” Sara said, the look in her eyes absent.

“We’re already late, go change so that we can leave in ten,” Zari said with a frown on her face.

“Could we like not go and watch some dumb TV show and just get drunk here instead?” Sara’s voice was as tired as her whole body seemed to be, the look in her eyes conflicted.

“No, we promised Nate we would show up,” Zari said with a firm voice, but when she saw the conflict in Sara’s eyes, she made a step towards her. “Listen, I know it’s hard for you because of all the things that happened with Nyssa but you need to get out of here. Getting drunk alone isn’t a healthy coping mechanism, you know that.” Zari lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder and Sara had to admit that she was right. Sticking in her room for three months wouldn’t make anything better, it wouldn’t help her get over Nyssa. “C’mon, Amaya will be there, Nate, Jax, Ray, Mick and I bet they are all waiting for our dear captain to show up.” Zari gave Sara a reassuring nudge with her shoulder and grinned to herself when Sara got up with a groan.

Sara had been in a relationship with Nyssa for almost a half year when Nyssa’s father made them move away to some place in Tibet. He had said it was because of work but both Sara and Nyssa had known that he hadn’t approved of their relationship.  
Nyssa was the first person she had a serious relationship with and she truly liked her, loved her even, but she had been ripped out of her life and left a hole Sara never knew could exist inside her. She was gone for almost three months now and Sara couldn’t bring herself to carry on. But Zari was right, sitting in here wouldn’t help her to get away from this.  
What she needed now were her friends, the Legends with all their lovable dorkiness, silliness, childish behaviour, the inside jokes and ludicrous situations they always managed to find themselves in. There was no better start for the new year than being reminded of all their adventures. And now, with the chance of a wonderful, stress-free night, the feeling that this day, the start of the new year, would hold something good for her, settled in.

“Fine, but I’m not watching boring straight romcoms,” Sara said with a sigh but she couldn’t hide the way the corners of her lips quirked up a bit.

“That’s the spirit.” Zari chuckled and punched Sara's shoulder almost untypically gently when the latter stood up and walked over to her closet. She pulled out a pair of black trousers and a light grey T-shirt, and quickly changed into the new clothes.

Both girls were ready after a few minutes of doing their hair. Zari let hers flow down in her natural curls while Sara put hers up in a ponytail. They walked down the stairs, Sara with a duffle bag in her hand, and were met with Quentin watching TV while preparing some food in the kitchen.

“We’re heading to the party I told you about,” Sara said and hugged her dad quickly but tightly, smiling at the surprised look in his face. 

“What did you do to her?” Quentin asked Zari as he pointed to his daughter, laughing softly.

“Best friend magic, I guess,” Zari said with a smug grin.

“Don’t wait up for me, Dad. We’re all staying at Nate’s,” Sara said and gave her dad a kiss on his cheek. She herself was a bit taken aback from her sudden outburst of love.

“Okay honey, but remember our family dinner tomorrow. Laurel is finally coming back from Harvard.” The thought about Laurel finally being back home sent another wave of love through her body.

“Great, I’ll be back in the afternoon,” Sara said and couldn’t hide the glimmer of anticipation in her eyes. Both girls headed to the door, Sara grabbing her black leather jacket and the car keys on their way out.

“Drive safe,” he called after them and smiled when the door fell shut.

\--------------------------------------------------

They arrived after a fifteen-minute ride through the city at Nate’s, just ten minutes later than they were expected to arrive.

After Nate opened the door, both greeted him with a tight hug and followed him inside. Nate offered to have the group night at his house because his parents weren’t home over New Year’s Eve and they would have enough space to all stay over. Because of his father’s job at the Pentagon, their house was ridiculously big and had several guestrooms, perfect for the Legends.

As soon as the rest of the Legends spotted them entering the living room, Sara was met with Jax jumping up from the couch, nearly knocking over all the bottles gathered on the coffee table, making the rest of the group laugh.

“Sara, finally,” he cheered when he caught her in a tight hug. “I almost thought you would leave us hanging, Cap.”

“If I wasn’t here, who would take care of you bunch of children?” she chuckled, smiling when she felt the familiar warmth that settled in every time she was with her friends.

After her forced break-up with Nyssa, Sara spent most nights at home, not wanting to do anything or meet anyone. She was barely at any parties, which was normally unlike her, and only met up with the Legends for special things like Jax’s football games, her own soccer games or birthdays. She knew they would be there for her, especially Zari, who had spent most weekends with her, but before today she just didn’t feel like having people around her. Thankfully that had changed because now she realized she should have done this earlier. The easiness with how the group interacted washed away her tiredness as if it had never been there.

“Good, you’re back,” grunted Mick and handed her a beer when Sara placed herself next to him. She took the beer and nodded in response.

“We missed you,” Ray said and greeted her with a tight hug. “It’s great that you’re feeling better now.”

“Thanks, Ray. It feels good to be back,” she replied and hugged Amaya who had just finished kissing Zari.

It was when she pulled back from their hug that she noticed a new face amongst their group. The girl sat between Nate and Nora, who already had heart eyes fixed on Ray, who in turn blushed under her gaze. The new girl's blonde hair framed her face in loose waves, the sinking afternoon sun highlighting her hair as if she had a halo shining above her head.

The next thing Sara’s gaze was drawn to was her pair of greyish-blue eyes and suddenly Sara was mesmerized by them, by the way they lingered with a soft look on Nora, how they seemed so deep and mysterious but at the same time so open and affectionate.

Sara was so caught up in the girl in front of her that she missed the way Zari smirked at Amaya, the latter grinning back at her girlfriend and the questioning look Jax sent them until he noticed the intensity with which Sara stared at the as of yet nameless girl.

Meanwhile, the girl whose name Sara was eager to find out so that she could feel the way it would slip from her tongue, just sat there. She did nothing but look unbelievably stunning in her woollen turtleneck, laughing at a joke Nora made, looking as if she was the modern version of the Mona Lisa in real life. Her lips suddenly looked so kissable and so _soft_ and -

Sara was pulled out of her daydream - she was certain it must be one because there was no way a living person could be this gorgeous - by Zari, who swatted her arm intentionally.

“Stop staring, Lance,” Zari teased with a low voice but Sara couldn’t care less. She didn’t even hear what Zari said, she was just staring at the girl and was suddenly breathless.

“Who the hell is that?” Sara breathed, and if Amaya hadn’t sat next to her, she probably wouldn’t have even heard what Sara had said.

“That’s Ava, Nora’s friend. She asked if she could bring another person when Ray invited her, remember?” Amaya said, smiling knowingly at Zari who just smirked even more.

“Ava,” Sara breathed out, inaudible to anyone else. The name felt so right on her tongue, so perfect on her lips when she let it slip out. Her voice, if someone could have heard it, was soft as if the name would break if she would put too much force in it. As if it would hurt Ava physically if she did so.

All of a sudden Ava turned her head around, her lips still curled up in that hypnotizing smile, the corners of her eyes just wrinkled a bit, increasing the fondness in them. A sunray from the side bathed them in a wonderful light, giving them a sudden warmness and Sara would have sworn her head had projected the ray. When Ava’s eyes met hers, Sara felt her stomach churn, but in the best possible way. Butterflies threatened to burst out of her chest when their eyes met for a split second.

Ava’s eyes suddenly went wide and Sara saw a faint blush rise in her cheeks, making her tilt down her head in an attempt to hide it. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and looked at Sara through her long eyelashes, increasing the storm of butterflies inside her stomach even more.

Sara, for her part, could only stare back. Her entire nervous system short-circuited and was currently unable to do anything, not even able to do _something_ in response.

A moment passed, Ava’s eyes roaming over Sara’s body and the latter felt heat rising in her cheeks. And then something shifted in Ava’s eyes, her face went blank. She stood up in a haze and hurried out of the room.

“I’ll go check on her. It’s probably just the alcohol,” Nora said while standing up herself and making her way to where Ava had gone to a moment ago.

“Sure,” Zari snorted when Nora was out of earshot. That earned her a swatting on her arm from Amaya in response, making her laugh even more.

Sara, not having heard Zari, scolded herself. Ava probably thought of her as some sort of creep now.

_Get a grip, Lance._

What was suddenly wrong with her?  
She was Sara fucking Lance, seductress of countless women, skilled martial artist and the damn captain of a soccer team. She could handle the literally most breathtaking girl she had ever seen sitting right in front of her, right?

\-------------------------------------------------- 

The moment Ava had turned her head around and found Sara looking, no, staring at her, something inside her turned upside down, in a good way. At first, she just felt a blush rising to her cheeks. maybe Sara just wondered who sat in front of her, because Ava was pretty sure that the famous Sara Lance hadn’t noticed her once in school.  
But when Sara kept her gaze on her, she found herself unable to tear her own away from that gorgeous freckled face of hers. Ava felt panic rise up. Was something wrong with her? Why was she staring at her like this? Sara’s look was indecipherable.

And then, all of a sudden she felt nausea kicking in. Ava didn’t know if it was from the alcohol she drank earlier or if she just couldn’t deal with Sara’s eyes lingering on her for this long, or even for just a split second. Maybe both.  
She could deal with pining after Sara without the latter knowing, but she most certainly couldn’t deal with Sara looking at her with an intensity Ava couldn’t quite place. It was as if she was staring right into her soul. She didn’t want to embarrass herself so she did the one thing she could do; leave the room and hope she wouldn't puke on the floor.

As soon as she left the room and headed for the bathroom, Ava felt able to breathe again. The nausea became less heavy, the pressure on her chest slowly lessening. How was she going to survive this night without obviously crushing on Sara and make a dumb attempt to kiss her or embarrass herself in front of her entirely?

“What’s going on, Aves?” Nora asked when Ava placed herself in front of the mirror, cooling herself down with a handful of cold water.

“Did you see the look in Sara’s eyes? I already screwed up and she doesn’t even know my name,” she groaned.

“Did _you_ see her look?” Nora asked with amusement in her voice, cocking an eyebrow and smirking at Ava, who stood still with her head in her hands and her eyes shut closed, a groan escaping her mouth.

“Yes, and I wish I hadn’t because her eyes… Damn, Nora, how can someone not be hypnotized by them?”

“Maybe it’s because I’m not crushing on her,” Nora chuckled, to which Ava just glared at her. “Okay, look. You didn’t screw up. I’d say her mouth hung open and if you hadn’t ran away she’d be there in the exact same place drooling over you.” Nora’s expression turned serious, giving Ava the feeling that she was honest, not that she thought Nora would make fun of her in a bad way, but with her insecurities and all the thoughts spinning in her head she was thankful for Nora’s honesty.

“You sure?” Ava asked, the hesitance in her voice showing the lingering insecurity.

“Ava, you are literally the most precious person I’ve ever met, not only for helping me when the whole crap with my father happened but because you’re here for me, always. And Sara would be incredibly dumb not to like you. Hell, she would be dumb if she wouldn’t try to flirt with you.”

“You know you don’t have to say that,” Ava said sheepishly, ducking her head down to hide the blush rising on her cheeks.

“You know I don’t say anything that doesn’t have some truth behind it,” Nora replied, giving her a look. Because Ava knew it, but it was easier to say that instead of acknowledging the things that Nora had said.

“I know,” Ava admitted and shot Nora a smile.

“Now c’mon, let’s get back out there. Sara waited long enough for your appearance, I’m sure she’s already thirsty and we wouldn’t want her to die, would we?” Nora smirked.

“Why are we friends again?” Ava mock-glared at her.

“Because I have the power to stop your annoying gay panic,” Nora said, grinning even more now.

“Do I have to mention the panic you had when you met Ray?” Now it was Ava’s turn to smirk at her friend, laughing at her when she blushed and shot daggers at her.

“That’s not the topic here, come on. Let’s get you a girlfriend,” her friend said and tugged her outside again.

\--------------------------------------------------

“You think everything is alright with Ava?” Sara asked with a concerned frown, earning a smirk from Zari and an amused look from Amaya.

“I bet you want to check on her,” Zari teased and dodged Sara, who suddenly threw a pillow at her.

“Oh come on, Lance. We all saw the look in your eyes, don’t pretend like you wouldn’t want to dip into Ava’s pond,” Jax said laughingly. Almost everyone around him suddenly screwed up their expressions and he earned several ‘ _ewws_ ’, except from Ray, who frowned and seemed to get what Jax implied a little too late.

“Gross.” Zari squeezed her eyes shut in visible disgust.

“Didn’t want to know that,” Mick said, his face as nonchalant as ever.

“Please, guys,” Sara said whilst trying to hide the enormous blush that kept settling all over her face. “It’s not as if Ava would actually be into girls anyway,” she said with a little less confidence. It was almost uncharacteristically shy of her.

“You don’t know that,” Nate said with a reassuring smile on his face which let unwanted hope ignite itself inside her stomach. “There wasn’t one single girl that you couldn’t charm your way into,” he continued, giving her a wink which made her smile. She was so glad to have them back properly in her life. Cutting them off hadn’t been a good decision but she loved them even more for giving her the space she needed.

“I knew they all had a thing for girls and I had their consent,” Sara answered. The whole consent thing was important to her because she wouldn’t want to let someone - especially women - suffer at the hands of anyone.

“Well, I know for a fact that Ava does indeed have a thing for girls,” Ray mentioned and all eyes in the room suddenly darted to him.

“Spill the tea, big guy,” Nate coaxed.

“C’mon, Ray, don’t leave me hanging like this,” Sara pleaded, feeling more eager than she thought she would.

“She told Nora about a crush she had on a girl, they talked about it while we were studying at Nora’s place. I don’t know if she came out yet but I figured that she’ll be okay if I tell you guys. Because you know, we’re friends and all and I trust you not to do anything to hurt her.” He gave Sara an insisting look, kind and assuring but also a little self-conscious because normally Ray wouldn’t tell anyone’s secrets just like that - that was what made him such a wonderful friend. But he also knew that maybe Sara and Ava would be good for each other. He had Ava known for a while now, she had joined the physics club that he organised with a few other students. She also became some sort of friends with Gary and he dragged her to their weekly Dungeons and Dragons round where she had met Nora and became friends with her pretty quickly.

“Ray, you know me, I don’t hurt _any_ women. I am only a threat to those who try to hurt either them or my friends,” Sara said and shot Ray a wink to which he replied with a nod, a knowing smile on his features.

“Lance, stop being such a disgusting knight in shining armour and do your thing, so that you stop being in permanent charming mode,” Zari said nonchalantly and Sara couldn’t help but grin at her best friend.

“So you do agree that I am charming?” She asked teasingly, cocking up an eyebrow. At that very moment Ava and Nora came back and rejoined them in the living room, sitting down on the couches where they had sat before Ava left the room so suddenly.

Ava frowned when she saw the glare Zari gave Sara, to which the latter just stuck out her tongue. Ava couldn’t help but wonder what had been going on when she wasn’t here, but what she did know was that she was thankful for the things that Nora had said minutes ago. Although she couldn’t stop the blush from rising in her cheeks when she felt Sara looking at her again, this time it wasn’t the same look as before. Although her eyes lingered on her, it didn’t feel like she was staring. It felt like these blue orbs were following every one of her movements intentionally, as if Sara didn’t care about Ava noticing her steady gaze. It was almost as if Sara wanted her to know that she was looking at her like that. Ava felt something flutter in her stomach when she glanced over to Sara and saw the spark in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. If Ava had to guess she would say it looked like genuine interest with something cocky to it, something bold.

Suddenly the air felt like it was electrified by a sudden lightning when their eyes met for the second time, making Ava’s stomach flutter even more, so hard that it almost hurt, but never would she trade that feeling - Sara looking at her with her fascinating eyes like that - for anything else. Again, heat rose to her cheeks and it almost looked as if Sara’s cheeks had a shade of pink on them as well.

\----------------------------------------------------------

When Sara saw Ava - she didn’t even notice Nora coming back as well - Sara was too mesmerized by her sudden presence, completely unable to keep her eyes away from her, from the way the last sun rays of the day highlighted the hair falling softly over her shoulders. Sara became suddenly all too aware of the way the turtleneck hugged her body in all the right places, how the black pair of jeans she wore showed legs going on for days. She tried her hardest not to let her hand touch those all too kissable lips.

She could see that Ava was watching her, that she saw the way Sara was looking at her and Sara also saw the light blush creeping up her cheeks. She felt her own cheeks heat up when their eyes met with such an intensity that she forgot everyone around them. Suddenly the room was filled with the light affection and hint of surprise visible in Ava’s greyish-blue eyes, just like in all the stupid love songs that she spent years making fun of. But in that very moment Sara _understood_ , as if a lighting bolt had hit her. She was certain she needed to get to know her, needed to feel her skin under her fingertips and needed to feel her lips on hers.

The blush that was still on her cheeks intensified when she saw Ava’s eyes falling to her lips, but they were back up to meet her eyes as quickly as they had been falling down. She was almost disappointed, but when the remaining glint of hesitation in Ava’s eyes changed into something bolder, Sara felt a flutter in her stomach, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

She found herself ducking her head down a little, her eyes darting to the ground for a second before they shot up again, only to see Ava’s eyes shining even brighter.

“Guys, stop having eye sex and tell us what you want on your pizzas,” Zari called from the kitchen and suddenly Sara not only became aware that Zari, Amaya, Nate and Jax had disappeared from the living room but also how long they must have staring at each other and how obvious it had been. She felt a hard blush coming up her neck and she didn’t dare to look at Ava, her eyes suddenly looking at a very interesting painting to her right.

Ava for her part wasn’t able to breathe for a second after Zari had called them out that loudly, the sudden laughter from Mick, Ray, Nora and the others in the kitchen pulling them out of their little bubble.

“Shut up, Z,” Sara retorted in a weak attempt to fight the embarrassment rushing over her. “It isn’t like you don't know my usual toppings anyway.”

“Right, but I don’t know Ava’s,” Zari answered from the entrance of the kitchen. “Whatcha havin’?”

“Pineapple, thanks,” Ava said a little shyly.

“Gross, but okay,” Zari muttered under her breath but still loud enough for anybody to hear. When Sara saw Ava blushing at Zari’s comment to her choice of topping, some of her boldness reappeared. Maybe she didn’t embarrass herself as much as it felt in the first moment, maybe this would still be the best New Year’s Eve she ever had.

\---------------------------------------------------

After ordering the pizza and recovering from Zari’s successful attempt to embarrass the both of them, Sara and Ava just exchanged a few looks, though they were filled with the same affection and shyness as before.

Ava was talking to Nora and Ray about something for a physics project while Zari and Nate played beer pong with Mick. Jax, Amaya and Sara were in the kitchen to make popcorn and prepare the other snacks for their traditional horror movie marathon until midnight.

“Sara, would you pass me the breadsticks?” Jax asked with a bowl of some topping Amaya had brought by in one hand.

“Sure,” she answered and threw the small box to him which he caught with one hand.

“You know, if I didn’t play football we would’ve just created a whole mess.” Chuckling, he threw her a wide smile.

“Isn’t that what we are good at? Creating messes?” she said, laughing. It felt so good to be around them again. A part of her that had been missing was back and she felt almost whole again. And maybe, if Ava and she would… No, it was too soon to think about more, they hadn’t even talked yet. Maybe she wasn’t even interested. But she couldn’t help but listen to the small voice of hope that told her that the look in Ava’s eyes wasn’t one she over-interpreted and so she held onto that, because maybe… Maybe Ava could make her whole again, maybe Ava with her kind, warm eyes could be the one person Sara needed.

“You’re right,” he said and left the room to bring the snacks to the coffee table in the living room.

“I’m glad you’re back, Sara,” Amaya said with her voice as calm as ever, placing a warm hand on her shoulder when Jax was out of earshot.

Sara smiled back at her, “so am I.”

“And don’t think that I haven’t noticed the way you looked at Ava,” she winked at her and a sudden shyness came over Sara, a blush rising in her cheeks.

“I don’t think anyone missed it, since Zari called me out that hard on it,” Sara chuckled a little nervously.

“You do realise that Ava was looking at you the same way, right?” her voice more tentative this time.

“I think so? ” It was more of a question. “I don’t know, I guess she likes me judging by the look in her eyes but I don’t know, Amaya. I don’t know if she _likes_ me likes me or if she is just kind, because I saw almost the same expressions in her eyes when she laughed at something Nora said. She had that same affection in her eyes,” Sara continued, her voice sounding more desperate with every word she said to her friend who looked at her with a mixture of joy and understanding.

“Sara, do you remember the way she literally jumped up from the couch and ran off?”

“Yes, how could I forget, thanks for reminding me. She must think I’m such a creep now, when she caught me staring at her like that. Hell, even I think I’m a damn creep. ” She began to spiral.

“That was not what I meant, Sara,” Amaya said and squeezed her arm slightly in an attempt to reassure Sara. “Listen, I know things have been hard for you since Nyssa, and I totally get that you feel insecure and that you don’t want to mess this up but-”

“I don't just want to not mess it up,” _whatever this is_ , she said, “I am _scared_ of messing this up.” For the first time she felt the more than uncomfortable, twisting feeling in her gut that Ava just _might_ think that she thought of Sara as someone creepy and not worth her time. Even though they knew each other only for about two hours, Sara had felt herself blush more in this short time than she had in what felt like her whole life. Even Nyssa couldn’t make her blush that much. A smile grew on her lips every time she heard Ava say something, regardless of what it was. Hell, she could hear her talking about wormholes for the entire night if she kept looking so cute with that little frown between her eyes when she thought about what Ray had answered to her own argument. Even though she didn’t understand one single thing.

“We haven’t even talked yet and here I am having a full gay panic every time she just looks at me,” Sara sighed in defeat, surrendering to her emotions and the uncomfortable thought of letting feelings control her actions again.

“Sara, hey, look at me,” Amaya said softly, catching Sara’s gaze. “What I wanted to say is that I saw the look in Ava’s eyes and she didn’t look at Nora one single time like that. Sure there was affection in it, but when she looked at you there was something else in it. Trust me, I had enough time to get to see it,” she snickered and Sara groaned at the tease. “My point is, you don’t have to be scared by what Ava might think of you, Sara, I think she already has an opinion and your chances are more than good.”

“You really think that?” Sara asked, her eyes and voice pleading for the right answer, the answer that held hope inside.

“I do and honestly, I think the chances that the crush Ray mentioned is actually you aren’t that bad either,” she winked at her friend whose brows were knitted together in a deep frown.

“Why’d you think that?”

“Because I may have seen the blush and suddenly averted gaze when she noticed you and Zari were coming in, as if she had anticipated to see you but was too afraid to meet your eyes. And I also think that she ran off because she is scared of what you might think about her too,” Amaya told her what she had observed earlier. What she didn’t tell Sara was that she had also seen Ava’s almost pining looks during lunch break or saw her sitting in the crowd at Sara’s soccer games, or how she blushed when Sara just looked in her direction. She thought it may give Sara the wrong idea, seeing as she had short relationships with people before Nyssa only because of her body or her popularity in high school. She wouldn’t want to make Sara think that Ava would only want her because of that.

“Thank you, Amaya. You are a great friend,” Sara said after a while, hugging her friend before she picked up the bowls of snacks and practically ran off into the living room, leaving Amaya to herself with a smile on her face.

As soon as Sara placed the bowls on the coffee table, she looked for a place to sit. All of them were gathered either on the couches or the floor with tons of blankets and pillows. Nate, Mick and Zari came back upstairs the moment Sara entered the living room. Their eyes met for a moment, a smirk forming on Zari’s lips when she glanced to the last three spots on the couch. As soon as Sara’s eyes followed Zari’s, the latter started running, the two guys with her. Sara started to move when her brain caught up with the situation but she knew she was too late when she heard Zari’s laughter and Nora’s complains about Ray jumping on her lap when Mick ran in his direction.

The last free spot was on the ground, between Jax and Ava who had made themselves comfortable on a lot of pillows and blankets. The only real disadvantage was the proximity to the feet of the people sitting above them, because when one is watching a horror movie you never know who is suddenly pulling up their feet because of a jump scare or something. Or Zari deciding to annoy the one sitting underneath her. Well, Sara wasn’t really in a position to scold her for that because she had caused an impressive count of bruises to her as well.

So Sara sat down between Ava and Jax, who just smirked weirdly at her, wiggling his eyebrows when he moved a bit to his right side, leaving more space for Sara between him and Ava. She glared at him but he just laughed, and when Sara turned around she felt herself blushing hard when she saw how red Ava’s cheeks had turned. A smirk started to play on her lips, because maybe there was a chance for the last hours of this crappy year to hold something good for her.

Nate started the movie after they all made themselves comfortable and Sara caught herself moving a little closer to Ava than necessary, their shoulders almost touching but still close enough for Sara to smell the light scent lingering in the air that clearly came from Ava. She smelled like sandalwood and something more flowery which Sara couldn’t place, but also like books, as strange as it might sound. She felt pleasant goosebumps rush all over her body when she inhaled deeply and Ava's scent flooded her nose.

\---------------------------------------------------

Ava noticed that Sara had moved a little closer towards her than she had needed to, but Ava didn’t mind at all. She felt her heart rate picking up and she could only hope that Sara wasn’t close enough to hear it, because it felt as if she had just ran a marathon or two.  
Her eyes darted to their almost touching legs. She didn’t dare to turn her head around to look at their shoulders in case Sara would see it and think she was awkward or worse, frightening. She just hoped her look would go by unnoticed by Sara.

Suddenly, probably due to their proximity, Ava’s nose was flooded with the smell of a forest after rain, something so plain, fresh and comforting that her eyes shut closed for a second to let herself be consumed by the relaxing feeling that the soothing scent created inside her.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard someone saying her name.

“Ava?” The voice was clearly Sara’s, she would recognize it everywhere. Not that they had actually talked, but she had heard her voice echoing through the halls and soccer fields of Star City High School and memorized it months ago. And if she was honest with herself, she caught a hint of awe when Sara spoke her name, as if she tasted the weight of the characters in her mouth and their feeling on her lips.

She turned her head, suddenly meeting those stunning bright blue eyes looking at her with something like anticipation at her.

“You want something?” Sara asked and pointed to the table with all the snacks on it in front of them, a more than kind smile lingering on her lips. Ava wasn’t able to answer the question for a moment, her eyes too busy staring at Sara’s all too kissable lips. Her cheeks started to turn a dark shade of red when she saw those very lips form into a smirk right before her, Sara’s eyes still fixed at her face. She forced her eyes upwards to meet her gaze and shot Sara an almost apologetic smile, ducking her head down for a moment. It shot back up again immediately when she heard the sound of Sara laughing. It didn’t sound like she was making fun of her, though it was filled with affection, the kind that was reserved for friends.  
Ava was sure her heart began to glow inside and she wouldn’t have been surprised if suddenly rays of light started radiating from her chest, because it felt like the shell she had kept around herself for so long finally started to crack open.

“I guess we stick with popcorn then,” Sara said giggling and Ava was equally mesmerized and all of a sudden too much aware of her situation and the fact that she hadn’t said a single thing to Sara. So she pulled together all the courage inside her and when her eyes met Sara’s again for what felt like the thousand time that day, her lips quirked up in a smile. 

“Sounds good,” was the only thing she said and she would have sworn that she could _feel_ the way Sara smiled back at her, a warm-hearted glimpse in her eyes that made her heart rate increase once again.

When Sara lay back again, the bowl of popcorn in her hand, Ava’s skin burned when Sara’s shoulder touched hers’ accidentally, although Ava wasn’t sure if it was really by accident. The skin that had touched Sara’s seconds ago burned like the surface of the sun but Ava didn’t mind that feeling at all. Luckily, Sara sat even closer to her than before and Sara must have sensed their closeness too, it was impossible for either of them not to, and that had to mean that Sara -

Ava didn’t dare to continue that train of thought; it was too scary. Partly because Sara hadn’t yet made an attempt to readjust how she seemed to lean into Ava’s side, with just enough space between them that their skin wasn’t touching.

They had sat through the first twenty minutes of the movie when the amount of jump scares increased by the minute, making Ava practically hide under the blanket that Sara had spread over their legs. Sara meanwhile sat there, smiling and laughing when she heard Zari’s breath hitch.

“Shut up, Lance. Not everyone loves horror movies as much as you do,” Zari glared in response to one of Sara’s comments about Zari accidentally kicking the back of Jax’ head after a jump scare.

“It’s not my fault that you’re just a fearful chicken inside,” Sara snickered and laughed even more when Zari kicked her in her back.

“Do I have to remind you of the spider in your bedroom last night?” Zari grinned to herself when Sara suddenly fell silent. Ava glanced at her, her cheeks flushed red and for a split second Sara’s eyes met hers, a hint of insecurity in her usually bright ocean blues.

“Spiders are the worst,” Ava heard herself saying and was surprised from were inside her it came. Normally she wasn’t afraid of any animal, even snakes or spiders but she knew the little lie was worth it when she saw the matte blue in Sara’s eyes change back into the all too familiar bright blue. A fond smile grew on both of their lips, wrapping them both in their bubble again, cheeks a little flushed and eyes lingering on each other until Ray let out a startled squeal, making everyone in the room laugh.

Later, almost halfway through the movie, the two of them had talked a little more, albeit mostly asking for certain food or offering to bring something to drink. When the level of splatter increased, Ava tucked the blanket under her chin, hiding underneath it every time a jump scare came. She wasn’t one for violence and didn’t enjoy watching it at all, and if she didn’t have such a huge crush on Sara she would have found her huge love for such movies gross. Sara’s part of the blanket was still only spread over her legs, but she decided to pull it up, taking the hem of the fabric in her hand.

And so when the next jump scare came, Ava was about to pull the blanket even further up to cover almost her entire face, but instead her hand met Sara’s and out of instinct she closed her fingers around them. She closed her hand tightly around Sara’s until the tension left her body.

\---------------------------------------------------

A split second was enough for Sara to react to Ava's surprise action, losing her grip on the blanket but curling her fingers around Ava’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. And just when Ava relaxed enough to process what had just happened, the next jump scare came and she tightened her grip again. This time, Sara was as prepared as she could be when a girl like Ava suddenly clung to her hand. She softly stroked the back of her hand, drawing patterns over the skin and taking in as much of Ava as she could. When Ava’s fingers eventually loosened their grip on her hand, Sara looked over to her and saw the still horrified look in her eyes.

“You okay?” she whispered into Ava’s ear.

“Yes,” came the barely convincing answer, causing Sara to meet her eyes and cock an eyebrow at Ava who had started blushing. “Okay, no.”

“Not into horror movies?” Sara asked softly.

“Not really.” Ava looked down, a little ashamed as if it hurt her to admit it.

“That’s okay, everyone has things they don’t enjoy,” Sara assured her, her hand searching Ava’s again and squeezing it tightly. Their eyes met again and Sara caught the thankful look in those beautiful greyish-blue eyes.

“You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to,” Sara told her with a frown. She liked horror movies, loved them even, especially watching them with the Legends, but it didn’t feel right to sit calmly next to someone, next to Ava, who didn’t enjoy this at all. So she suggested the first thing that came to mind. “We could, you know, sneak outside and wait for the movie to end.”

“No, no. It’s okay,” Ava said, “I survived until now, I’ll survive the rest.” Sara looked into her eyes for a second, searching for any sign of something that would tell that Ava was just too kind to leave the room in the middle of the movie. But she didn’t find anything, the look in her eyes honest and somehow bolder than it had been before. Sara got the feeling that she meant it, so she just nodded in response.

Both of them turned their heads back to the screen, their fingers still interlaced between them. Neither of them dared to move a finger, afraid that the other would suddenly notice and withdraw their hand. But when the next jump scare came, Ava instinctively tightened her grip around Sara’s hand again. The latter started to rub small circles on her palm again. They shared a look; Ava’s a little afraid of what Sara might think but not as afraid as before, and Sara’s soft and reassuring.  
Through the rest of the movie they kept holding hands, Ava holding onto Sara when it got scary or after a jump scare and Sara drawing lines on Ava’s hand, showing her that she got her.

\---------------------------------------------------

The credits rolled and Ava let out a small shaky breath before taking one in and closing her eyes. She made it. She survived her first horror movie and actually felt good. Well, she hadn’t liked the movie at all, it had far too much splatter and scary stuff, but going through something she had always feared made her feel strong.  
And way more importantly, she got to spend some time with Sara. Sure, everybody else was in the room with them, but in the surrounding darkness and the intimacy between them it created a special moment. It was special to Ava and she was sure that she would treasure the moment forever. Even if it probably wasn’t as important for Sara as it was for her Sara had done that for _her_.

Behind her, Ava heard Zari groan, probably because she could finally stretch her limbs again. Sara was still holding her hand and showed absolutely no intention to let go and Ava didn’t mind at all. It was nice, and the way their hands fit together just felt _right_ , like they were made to fit perfectly into each other.

With one swift motion Sara got up from their small pillow mountain, still holding Ava’s hand, now for everyone to be seen. A faint blush appeared on Ava’s cheeks which only intensified when Sara’s eyebrow quirked up and the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile.

“You wanna drink something?” she asked.

“Sure,” Ava answered and as soon as she did so she was pulled up from the ground up to were Sara stood in all her glory. Ava was caught off guard with the sudden movement, which led to her stumbling slightly forward until she nearly crashed into Sara. Luckily, the latter grabbed her arms in time, leaving her suddenly breathless in the literal arms of her long-time crush.  
“Thank you,” Ava said with cheeks as red as a tomato.

“At your service,” Sara answered with a smirk on her lips. “C’mon,” Sara continued and pulled Ava with her into the kitchen.

“What can I get you?” Sara asked.

“Beer, I guess.” It was more of a question than an answer, which caused Sara to look at her a little quizzically.

“Beer it is,” she said and handed Ava an open bottle, which the latter gladly took and almost inhaled the drink inside. The alcohol ran down her throat with a welcome burning.  
“Easy, girl,” Sara snickered and once more, and surely not for the last time, her cheeks burned red.

“I just needed something to forget that damn movie,” Ava told her and it wasn’t a complete lie. Although the more important reason was to get a hold of her behaviour and feelings in front of Sara, the movie was still in her bones and she wasn’t sure if she would want to watch another one. Maybe just for the chance to hold Sara’s hand again.

“We could just skip the next one and, I don’t know, talk instead, get to know each other, you know?” Suddenly Sara was the one standing in front of Ava with light pink cheeks, her eyes filled with something other than her usual boldness. She almost looked shy, almost afraid of Ava’s answer. A fluttering feeling in her chest appeared and now Ava looked as soft as Sara had before into those big blue orbs. “That would be great.” The following smile on Sara’s lips could have melted the snow outside.

\---------------------------------------------------

Minutes later both girls found themselves wrapped up in blankets sitting in the winter garden. Ava with another beer and Sara with a glass of Scotch, talking and laughing.

Ray was about to enter the winter garden when he was stopped by Zari, who glanced softly at the girls laughing because Sara had told Ava the old Peter Pan story from elementary school. “Leave them be. I don’t think they’ll miss the movie,” Zari pointed out in a rare soft voice.

“She looks so happy. I’m so glad that she’s here tonight and that she seems to have found someone who fits so right with her.” Ray followed her eyes and smiled softly. He was truly happy for Sara. Before Nyssa she hadn’t had much luck with the people she was in a relationship with, and although Nyssa and Sara were happy, it destroyed her when she had to leave. Seeing her this happy was sadly uncommon in the last weeks. But now she seemed to be finally herself again and Ray was sure Ava played a big part in that.

\---------------------------------------------------

“So how is it possible that I’ve never seen you before?” Sara asked more to herself than to Ava.

“I moved here recently and I normally don’t do things like this, so I don’t know a lot people. Just Ray and Nora,” Ava explained. She didn’t tell her that she tried to keep herself away popular people in general. And she also didn’t tell her why that was. But Sara didn’t seem satisfied with her explanation.

“I get it, but why hasn’t Ray invited you to one of our parties or something? He knows I like pretty girls.” A smug smirk settled on Sara’s lips and Ava wasn’t able to stop the blush from rising to her cheeks. Along with it came the now all too familiar flutter in her stomach and the warm feeling that consumed her in the best possible way when Sara gave her that look.

“He did but I rejected the invitation.”

“And why are you here now?” Sara asked and realized a moment later, when she saw Ava frowning slightly, that the question sounded a bit rude. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I was just surprised that you didn’t say no this time. You seem so-”

“Boring,” Ava blurted out in a shy voice.

“I was gonna say nice,” Sara corrected and the affectionate smile on her features let a similar one break through the frown on Ava’s. “But that’s not the right choice of words either. You’re just different, you know? Not in a bad way, not at all. Just different.” Her ramble ended with Sara looking right into Ava’s eyes, then her eyes fell a little deeper and suddenly Ava became aware of their proximity. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and caught her eyes falling down to Sara’s lips too.

For a second it felt like Sara was leaning in and suddenly she was only inches away. Ava was about to close her eyes when they heard the door to the winter garden crack open. Both suddenly looked to the ground, avoiding the other’s eyes until Jax appeared in the room.

“We want to order a second pizza round, you want something?”

For a moment Ava said nothing, pondering on whether it would be inappropriate to order another pizza or not and what Sara might think if she did. But her internal discussion was interrupted by Sara who just smiled and answered, “Two with pineapples.”

Jax screwed up his face mockingly but he quickly ran away to the living room when Sara threw a pillow after him.

“I thought you didn’t like pineapple pizza?” Ava said teasingly, and now she was the one with the cocked eyebrow.

“Well, they say know your enemy, don’t they?” Sara answered with that familiar smirk on her way too kissable lips. “Besides, I never tried it, so what if I actually like it?”

“You’d be surprised,” Ava chuckled.

“Anyway, why did you come this time?” The curiosity had clearly taken over Sara’s mind.

“Because of Nora. She’s crushing so hard on Ray and I want to make sure that they finally get their shit together. ” Ava half lied because yes, that was one of her intentions, but also this was her chance to get to know Sara.

“Oh my god yes, those two. Our entire squad ships them but Ray is too shy to ask her out so Amaya keeps inviting her and I’m so glad that they finally seem to get shit done.”

They talked almost through the entire third movie and both girls were enjoying themselves. They were still wrapped in blankets and as soon as the pizza arrived, a new round of drinks entered too.  
It turned out that pineapple pizza didn’t taste as bad as Sara thought it would, but she wouldn’t order it again. Ava on the other hand had fun teasing Sara about the whole Peter Pan story.

“So Aves, I want to get to know you, if that’s okay. Like what do you like, what you do besides school and at least one embarrassing story about you so that I feel a little less embarrassed about the whole Peter Pan thing.” The look on Sara’s face showed genuine interest and somehow it brought back that warm feeling in her chest, because not only had Sara used a special nickname, she also seemed genuinely interested in her.

“Okay, but it would be boring just to tell you. We could do it like… Do you know the game ‘two lies, one truth’?” Ava suggested, feeling bold enough to finally take control of the situation.

“Yes! That sounds like a great idea!” Sara clapped her hands and adjusted her position on the couch so that she had a better look into Ava’s eyes.

“Great!” While adjusting herself too on the couch, Ava noticed that she actually liked Sara looking at her. Hours ago she probably would have had a proper gay panic, but now it just felt _nice_. It felt as right as any other thing had never felt.

“Okay, first one. I am from Fresno and I used to do cheerleading until we moved here. Second, I live with two moms and a dog. And third, I want to work in law enforcement after high school.”

A frown appeared between Sara’s eyes while she thought for a moment. “The first one is the truth,” she said proudly.

“How’d you know that?” Ava asked surprised, she had kept her poker face flawless.

“Well, first of all you seem more like a cat person to me and don’t get me wrong but for someone who wants to work in law enforcement you don’t seem to like seeing blood at all.” Sara chuckled softly.

“Maybe you should think about a career as a detective because you are right.”

“Yes!” Sara cheered to herself. “Why didn’t you continue cheerleading here? I would be honored to have you cheering for me during a game.” Sara winked at her but instead of a blush a sad smile appeared on her face.

As soon as Sara saw the smile she interlaced their fingers again, “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s… it’s okay,” Ava said and inhaled a breath, shakier than usual. “A little while before we moved here I came out as gay to the members of my team and- well, they weren’t as open as the people are here, so… I cut all ties and welcomed the chance of a new beginning here,” she continued with a less sad voice as she thought, it somehow felt good to talk to Sara about it.

“Oh, Aves. I’m sorry about those assholes. You know, if they don’t accept you as you are then they don’t deserve you at all.” The shocked look in Sara’s eyes flared up with sudden anger, adding a fierce look to the usual bright ocean blue eyes.

“I know, I’m over it, but that’s why I try to avoid popular people as much as I can. I just want to pass my exams and then leave high school behind.”

“You know you failed with that, don't you?” Sara snickered, causing Ava to chuckle too.

“Yeah, I know. But I don’t regret a single minute. Not even the horror movie.”

“I’m glad you don’t,” Sara said and she sounded a little lost in thought. “Next round?”

“Sure, uhm… Let me think for a moment. Okay, got something. Ready?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, so, I always wanted to do some sort of martial arts but my mum was always like ‘that doesn’t suit a lady’. Second, I can play guitar, piano and violin. Third, I have a cat called Bounty.”

Sara let out a soft laugh and was visibly starting to think again. Sara thinking looked cute and just because of that Ava was lost in the moment. was pulled out of it when Sara finally spoke, “Okay, so I doubt that anyone would name their cat Bounty and I wouldn’t take you for someone who is into martial arts, so I guess the second option is true.”

“I have to say that you are…,” she paused, a triumphant smile on Sara’s face, “wrong.” Ava enjoyed that cute frown between her eyebrows way too much.

“What? What’s the truth then?”

“I always wanted to try martial arts,” Ava answered, smiling. “But I play instruments, piano and violin.”

“Wow, that’s awesome! But who in God's name would name their cat Bounty?”

“I named mine Snickers,” Ava shrugged and enjoyed the look on Sara’s face more from second to second.

“Oh my goodness, poor cat!”

“Nah, he’s good,” Ava winked and chuckled lightly.

“But anyway, your mom never let you try martial arts?” Ava shook her head. “You know, I could teach you. I have a few black belts and I’m training groups with all the little ones, so I’m definitely a qualified trainer,” Sara pointed out.

“That actually sounds great,” Ava said with a soft voice. It almost felt like a date, even though Sara probably hadn’t meant it that way.

They were interrupted by Nate running in. “Sara, Ava. It’s almost twelve. C’mon, let’s join the others!” He tugged them with him into the living room where the rest of the Legends were gathered, all with some form of alcohol in their hands. And as soon as Ava and Sara noticed Ray and Nora sitting closer together than before, both smirked at each other.

“Oh, there you are,” Zari said mock-annoyed, pressing drinks into their hands.

“Get ready guys, the last minute of 2019!” Jax called and everyone cheered. Sara and Ava stood amongst them but it felt like they were still in their bubble, because while the others counted down the last sixty seconds of the entire decade, the two girls just stood there, focused on each other. Their hands fitting perfectly together, Ava’s eyes searched for Sara’s when they were down to the last ten seconds.

Their eyes met.

_Nine._

Their voices became quieter.

_Eight._

Sara stroked Ava’s palm just like she had before.

_Seven._

A comfortable warmth spread through Ava's entire body.

_Six._

Sara swivelled around to face Ava properly.

_Five._

Now Ava stroked Sara’s palm with growing affection in her eyes.

_Four._

Sara’s blue eyes were fixed on her and Ava felt the intensity changing.

_Three._

Ava took a step towards Sara.

_Two._

Sara leaned in and Ava swallowed all her anxieties down.

_One._

The words ‘can I kiss you?’ rang in her ears.

_Zero._

The words made Ava shiver, sending goosebumps over her entire body. And then, she gathered all the courage she had and loosened her grip on Sara’s hand to cup her cheeks. She leaned in and as soon as she felt Sara’s perfect lips on hers, she moved them against the pair of soft lips. She had to repress a moan when she felt Sara’s hands on her hips, pulling her in closer. Everything felt perfect, Sara’s hands on her body, her own hands cupping Sara’s cheeks, their lips moving against each other. The whole world stopped around them, nothing else could come into their bubble, not even the Legends cheering around them. An apocalypse could break out right next to them and neither Ava or Sara would have noticed nor cared.

What felt like hours were actually seconds and when Ava pulled back slightly to look at a stunned Sara in front of her, she suddenly became aware of the fact that the Legends weren’t celebrating the new year but stood around applauding them. She blushed, but the slight embarrassment washed away when Sara pulled her into a deep kiss again.

“Happy new year, Aves,” she whispered softly when she pulled back slightly from Ava. Ava, for her part, couldn’t help the smile that settled all over her face.

“Happy new year,” Ava replied, placing another kiss on Sara’s lips, feeling how they tasted and how kissing Sara was the best thing she had ever done.

“I guess this year just got the best start it could’ve had,” Sara said with affection.

“I totally agree.” Ava pulled Sara in for one more kiss, tender and careful.

“But it’s only the beginning,” Sara added and warmth spread all over body again. Finally this felt like home. Sara felt like home and now Ava couldn’t wait to find out what this year would hold for them.

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Warden, I hope you had/still have wonderful holidays and a good start this year. To a new year full of love, food, unfinished WIP's and Avalance!^^


End file.
